CORTLAND, N.Y. – The nationally fifth-ranked Messiah field hockey team broke open a close game with three goals in just over a seven-minute span in the second half in defeating 19th-ranked Cortland, 5-1, in the season-opening game for both schools Saturday afternoon at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.

Sophomore Abbey Wentlent (Greene) scored her first career goal as a Red Dragon. Senior Sara Woodward (Ancram/Pine Plains) recorded an assist. Sophomore goalie Amanda Perricone (Bedminster, PA/Pennridge) made seven saves.

Junior Brooke Sands ((Lancaster, PA/Schuylkill Valley) led the Falcons with two goals. Seniors Kelly Martin (Lititz, PA/Ephrata) and Natalie Ziegler (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) each contributed one goal and one assist, sophomore Celina Nissley (Middletown, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) tallied one goal and senior Juliana Hershey (Smoketown, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) recorded an assist. Junior goalie Molly Gebroski (Latrobe, PA/Milton Hershey) registered six saves.

The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead in the fourth minute of play when Martin converted a penalty stroke into the upper left of the goal after a Cortland defender prevented a Messiah shot from scoring with her foot. Sands made it 2-0 off a penalty corner with a long blast from the top of the circle at nine minutes, five seconds. Cortland's best chance to score in the first half came with less than a minute remaining, but Gebroski denied back-to-back shots by Woodward.

Messiah took control of the game with its three-goal burst just past the midway point of the second half. At 51:05, Sands notched her second goal of the game with another low, hard shot from the top of the circle on a penalty corner. Ziegler pushed the lead to 4-0 just over a minute later when she scored on her own rebound through a screen. Nissley capped the run with a one-time shot after she knocked down a pass from Ziegler in front. Cortland spoiled the shutout with 9:28 remaining when Wentlent blasted a shot from the top left of the circle on a penalty corner. 

Messiah 5, Cortland 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Messiah: Brooke Sands 2-0, Kelly Martin 1-1, Natalie Ziegler 1-1, Celina Nissley 1-0, Juliana Hershey 0-1
Cortland: Abbey Wentlent 1-0, Sara Woodward 0-1

Halftime: Messiah 2, Cortland 0
Shots: Messiah 18, Cortland 9
Penalty Corners: Messiah 15, Cortland 6
Saves: Molly Gebroski (Messiah) 6 (1 GA in 70:00), Amanda Perricone (Cortland) 7 (5 GA in 70:00)

Record after game: Messiah (Falcon) 1-0 (ranked 5th nationally in Div. III); Cortland (Red Dragons) 0-1 (ranked 19th nationally in Div. III)